The failure of the economic recovery in Ireland to deliver for the needs of working-class people is becoming increasingly clear, if anything living standards are worsening. The past number of weeks and months has seen the publication of reports with ample proof of this.

There are now a record 687,000 people waiting for treatment in public hospitals, the vast bulk of whom are waiting to see a consultant as outpatients for the first time. On the census night in 2016, 7,000 people were classed as homeless, rising by 81% since the census of 2011. Today it is estimated that there are 8,000 living in homeless accommodation, including nearly 3,000 children. Many are now being threatened with eviction from their homes by vulture funds with an alarming rise in the number of summary judgements. read full story / add a comment

Reproduced from the editorial of “The Socialist”, newspaper of the Socialist Party in England and Wales

As more details emerge and the death toll rises, it becomes clearer and clearer what a terrible disaster this is. The fire spread with horrifying speed and witnesses describe heart-breaking scenes as people desperately tried to escape.

It is a huge tragedy for the immediate community. Children have died; three generations of the same family have died. But rather than being torn apart, the community has come together in a remarkable display of human solidarity, supporting each other, collecting donations of goods and money, organising emergency accommodation, coordinating relief.

The heroism, the courage, the self-sacrifice of the emergency services and of local residents is incredible. Who can fail to be moved by the scenes of the firefighters being applauded as they drove away from the scene?

And there has naturally been a much wider outpouring of sympathy with the residents and families affected, with overwhelming donations of money, clothes, bedding, toys, nappies, etc. The true face of humanity has been shown in this solidarity. read full story / add a comment

Many people still don't fully understand why events transpired the way they did during our financial crisis, but this analysis by Michael Hudson reproduced here serves to clearly outline how and why we ended up where we did. The interview is concerned with the greek situation with but the behaviours involved in "loaning to exploit" described in the interview are clearly recognisable from our own experiences. read full story / add a comment

April 15 saw the launch of Abdullah Öcalan's new book: The Political Thought of Abdullah Öcalan - Kurdistan, Women's Revolution And Democratic Confederalism’ published by the British-based progressive publisher, Pluto Press. read full story / add a comment

Indymedia Ireland wish to pay tribute to the late leader Comrade Fidel Castro who died on Fri 25th Nov 2016, aged 90. He was an iconic figure of the 20th century and perhaps most famous for leading Cuba away from the clutches of a dictator and the mafia which ran the country on behalf of the US prior to that and then to events of the CIA backed failed invasion to overthrow him referred to as the Bay of Pigs and then later to the Cuban missile crisis which brought the world to the brink. This came about because the US had placed nuclear missiles in Turkey which were 15 minutes flight time to Moscow and Castro allowed the Soviet Union to respond in kind by placing Soviet missile in Cuba which were 15 minutes flight time to Washington.

Not only that he and Cuba defied the US for many decades simply by existing despite the US openly being hostile including imposing economic and financial sanctions against Cuba since the revolution and an estimated 600 assassination attempts against him and for daring to give the example that there is another way to exist than naked capitalism. A successful example on their doorstep of a state that provided benefits such as education, health and general well-being for their citizens is what the US most feared. Even to this day, the health system and life expectancy exceeds anything in Latin American and including huge swaths of the USA itself and this lesson is surely being brought home to many not just in the US but elsewhere where many are mired in puntative debt and are prey to vulture capitalists and increasing unstable and uncertain existence in their daily lives. read full story / add a comment

Nothing should inspire the public’s outrage more than the chasm that exists between the haves and have nots in Philippine society. And what better indicator can there be of inequality than when poor people suspected of involvement in drugs start dropping dead on the streets while the rich and powerful escape plunder charges through the courts? read full story / add a comment

Big capital has constantly decreased its contribution to the state – creating a gap in the state’s coffers which is then filled by more and varied taxes on ordinary people – ultimately shrinking the very market big capital needs to sell its increased production of goods. read full story / add a comment

Every year hundreds of people attend the Dublin Anarchist Bookfair for a day of inspiring discussions and the opportunity of meeting lots of other radicals, browsing books and meeting campaigns.
The 11th Dublin Anarchist Bookfair will take place Saturday 16th of April around Smithfield square, there will also be a major event on the Friday night in the Teachers Club, Parnell Square.read full story / add a comment

Weak Irish capitalism makes a deal with Catholic hierarchy in which the hierarchy get control over many areas of Irish life and in return preach and organize in support of capitalism and against socialism and as part of this against women's rights. read full story / add a comment

MANILA - “Bernie Sanders would be good not only for the United States but for the Philippines and Asia,” Walden Bello told the US media after he chatted briefly with the candidate for Democratic Party presidential nomination in Waterloo, Iowa on Sunday, 13 December 2015.read full story / add a comment

Every year hundreds of people attend the Dublin Anarchist Bookfair for a day of inspiring discussions and the opportunity of meeting lots of other radicals, browsing books and meeting campaigns.
The 11th Dublin Anarchist Bookfair will take place Saturday 16th of April around Smithfield square, there will also be a major event on the Friday night in the Teachers Club, Parnell Square. read full story / add a comment

Paul Craig Roberts clearly outlines the systematic way western financial institutions and the IMF have traditionally looted the third world and now, having exhausted that process, have turned to looting other western countries such as Ireland, Greece, Portugal, and more recently, Spain and Italy. read full story / add a comment

Irish government wastes over 1 million euro on biased fracking study
in spite of world oil prices rendering fracking itself as nothing
but a major loss making and pointless exercise. read full story / add a comment

NOTE: DATE CHANGED TO FRIDAY 27TH NOV. VENUE IS THE SAME
We want to invite all activist, activist groups, community groups and organizations to the second Galway Activist Meet-Up
on Friday 27th November from 6pmin the Galway Traveller Movement office, 1 The Plaza, Headford Rd, Galway

We want to continue the process of bringing activists and groups together that we started at the first meeting. We have set up an email list, but we need to make some decisions on how we run things and which from the many ideas that were gathered we want to pursue. read full story / add a comment